Swisher International and Drew Estate Push For Expansion in Asia

As part of a plan to expand their presence in Asia, Swisher International Inc. and Drew Estate Tobacco Company announced today that they have appointed Asia Marketing Services (AMS) of Taipei, Taiwan, led by Hans Rijfkogel, as an independent sales representative for the Asian domestic and duty-free market.

“The international marketplace holds tremendous growth opportunities for Swisher and Drew Estate,” according to Alex Goldman, Vice President of International Business Development for Swisher International via a press release. “As the two companies have been able to combine resources in specific geographies following the acquisition of Drew Estate last year, we have seen an almost immediate increase in the number of retailers carrying our brands and the number of consumers smoking our product.”

“When I started AMS the goal was to build solid relationships with a small group of prominent manufacturers in order to represent a well rounded portfolio of quality products,” Rijfkogel said. “Adding both Swisher International and Drew Estate to our mix has allowed us to reach that goal. I am excited to be a part of the Swisher/Drew Estate family and look forward to great success in the future.”

Joe Augustus, Senior Vice President of Global Affairs, added that “the Asian region has been a growing market for Swisher for several years, and we have set some ambitious goals for its growth. With the addition of the Drew Estate portfolio of products, it made sense to add a resource located in the region to better service our customers, and keep them informed of our growing product mix. With over 20 years of selling experience in the region, we feel Hans and his team are the perfect representatives to help further our goals.”

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. I previously covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.